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“Articles in this book overflow with humour and thought provoking jokes. The way Araka twists and plays around with names of public figures, their actions and inactions, and blends it with the joys and disappointments of ‘ordinary’ citizens is on another level. The style is readable and appealing. The articles revolve around the novel Coronavirus disease. This is a time to be told and retold to present and future generations.” – Rose Kong’ani Keya, Book Editor and Teacher
“The author has banked on wordplay to offer his contribution in chronicling a critical moment in our lives when COVID-19 threw the world into panic and confusion. The book tells of humanity’s inadequacies, hits and misses. Through his trademark satire, Araka shows that as human beings, we deserve better and can do better even when caught up in difficulties. – Edna, Gutenbergschule, Leipzig
“Many occurrences happen in everyday life and can go unnoticed despite being significant. Araka is a gifted writer that makes such occurrences memorable through satire and humour. The themes in the articles including: political manipulations, exploitation, corruption, family relations, hypocrisy, traditions, and modern technology are well intertwined in the writer’s rich narrative style with vivid descriptions that capture the reader to achieve reading this collection in the shortest time possible. I recommend this collection to readers that wish to relive occurrences in their lives and surroundings in a laughable way.” – George Onkundi, Principal, Nyamira School.
About the Author: Joshua Nyangau Araka is a journalist, creative writer and biographer. His other published works include: Peppered Path, Chronicles of the Idler-Volume One, and Beaten Odds, a Biography of Stephen Mabea.
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Totems of Abagusii of Kenya
Ebimanyererio nigo bire bi'echingencho ao ao ase abanto ao ao. N'enchera eyemo abanto b'ororeria oromo bakomanyana na kwemanyia ase abanto bande. Ase abande n'enchera y'ogwetogia. N'abande begenete buna ebimanyererio n'enchera eyemo y'okobeka okwegena ase chinkoro chi'abanto. Komenta nayio, ebimanyererio nigo bigokonya abanto koinyora ing'ai barwete nechimbwa chiabo. Soma egetabu eke egere omanye igoro y'ebimanyererio bi'Abagusii.
*****
Throughout the world, totems are used variously, including linking people with each other and defining the relationships among many people or groups of people. They can represent the connection between people and the spiritual world. Further, totems help people preserve their culture and history. This book presents totems of Abagusii and explains how they came to be, based on oral history passed down generations.
The Vanishing Indigenous Heritage of the Abagusii of Western Kenya
Abagusii are a Bantu-speaking group found in South Western Kenya, also called the Gusii region. Like other indigenous communities in the world, the people of Gusii have a rich heritage that captures their history and culture. The community’s heritage is at the core of their identity. For instance, Abagusii were deeply spiritual, be it in the administration of justice, an individual’s conduct or relationships with others in the society.
As the community settled down, some places became more important to them. Some of these sites assumed spiritual significance. Others became historical with inscriptions that predate the arrival of the group on present-day Gusii. Places such as Ngoro ya Mwaga, at the base of the Manga Ridge, were important to the spiritual lives of Abagusii. It was sacred, and clear rules governed the manner of conduct while visiting the location. Other locations like the caves in Sameta have rock-inscribed writings that have stood the test of time. They predate the group’s arrival in that land. Some developments saw the transformation of people’s lives, such as the building of the first watermills, which substantially eased the tedious work of preparing cooking flour.
This book points to the potential these places hold for present-day Gusii, Kenya and the world. As the authors write, ‘It is also important to note that other than satisfying the social-religious needs of the local community, if well managed and presented, these sites can become a source of cultural heritage tourism.’ Not only would this promote the heritage of the people of Gusii but also become a source of revenue for the two counties of Kisii and Nyamira.
Further, the work underlines the importance of preserving the sites, and the heritage they represent, for future generations and the world at large. Unfortunately, as the land sizes decline in Gusii, there is encroachment and (in many cases) destruction of what was once sacred. When such destruction takes place, it goes with the historical and cultural representation it holds.
My Roots
Set among the Abagusii of Kenya at the onset of independence in Africa, Jeremîré Araka’s My Roots is an extraordinary story of postcolonial migration and the characters’ struggle to negotiate their existence in the disparate cultures that assailed Africa during and after colonization.
Otenyo, as Chief Ongoro’s first son, is the entitled heir to his father’s throne. Colonialism and Christianity, however, have infected native customs and traditions, especially among those who have attained formal education such as Otenyo and his sisters who have excelled in modern education undergirded by Christian values. Otenyo acquires outstanding credentials in America where he also meets and marries an American woman, jilting a childhood flame whom he had left – so far unknown to him – pregnant with a daughter. All the successes with education and in the professions, however, further alienate Ongoro’s children from their culture and traditions that have stood the test of time and served their society well. Torn between two worlds and rooted in neither, despite their academic success, their family faces mysterious deaths, countless ailments, baffling mishaps and many incomprehensible happenings whose solutions are deemed only explainable in the traditions of their people.
This story gives the reader insights into the accounts of an immediate pre- and post-independent African state and the journey that Otenyo had unseeingly set out into the distant lands and upon his return, but now in search of his roots. Will the search for his roots succeed? How will his people, who have long-awaited his return, receive him? What of his estranged fiancé, Keruboo? Readers will conclude this book with a sense of awe-inspiring amusement.
What others say about My Roots
“My Roots is a searing memoir painted on a leather that is a vivid, revelatory, thoroughly original and compelling account of postcolonial migration and the characters’ battle to negotiate their existence in the mosaic of cultures that assailed Africa during colonialism and immediate post-colonialism.” – Omwami Prof. Dietrick Kaijanangoma, Author, Analyst, Distinguished communication scholar, St. Augustine University of Tanzania, Mwanza.
The Pearl on the Horizon
The Pearl on the Horizon is a moving story about the devastating effects of materialism which sends a rich ethical message in line with religious teachings. Madame Victorine Mahfouz grows up in a materialistic family and looks at everything through these lenses. On the other hand, Eugene and Fresha believe in high achievements in education and consequent roses. Confronted with unemployment and tough socio-economic demands, Madame Victorine mocks the two and even threatens to destroy their engagement. Underlying the plot is a classic romantic love relationship between Eugene and Fresher, on the one hand, and Madame Victorine’s illicit amorous scandals, on the other. In these well-written passages with techniques enriched by letters, songs, poems and narration, the reader will appreciate the author’s juxtaposition of success and survival. The Pearl on the Horizon draws a line between survival and success, crowns the latter prominence and discredits the former. The writer suggests that success is slow but bears enduring results. Survival, on the other hand, is quick but can lead to ruin.
What others say
“The novel is captivating and factual. It captures social and material conditions in Africa occasioned by poor governance. So what is success in the face of devastating levels of unemployment, stiff competition from the large pool of graduates and the need to survive? Is it unprincipled material acquisition and a ‘good living’ or a good education and ethical living?” – Rose Keya, Book Editor.
“The Pearl on the Horizon speaks volumes to young adults who may want to take shortcuts in life and the consequences of such actions.” Harriet Irungu, Student of Literature.
Mucii ni Mucii
Mucii ni Mucii , written in Gikuyu one of Kenya's indigenous languages, is a moving story of a peasant girl who defies odds in her childhood to become one of the most prosperous people in the country. Starting in a background of biting poverty and an abusive father, Wahito drops out of school after her primary education and gets a low paying job after another.
Meanwhile, evil clouds are hanging over her horizons. In her youthful naïveté, she lets of the man who truly loves her and falls into the old trap of being lured by a "use and dump" type who has loads of cash to spend. In the most confused phase, her young life takes a downturn after that; and she moves from one crisis to another, including being orphaned while still a single mother.
But fate has other plans for her. She ends up with the man who was destined to be her soul mate. Together, they traverse a terrain full of many risks and barriers to realize the dreams of their lives. Through providence or destiny, it seems Wahito's life is forever intertwined with those of her girl friends. The story has a gripping climax with a lot of the unexpected happening.
In the end, all (of almost all) the pieces of Wahitos' chequered life fall into place and she seems to lead an exciting, happy prosperous life. But then, one never knows what happens next in Wahito's life.
Where we Started: a novel
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